Franson and Rutta practiced again Wednesday as they recover from upper-body injuries that have kept them out of the last four and two games, respectively. But with Jordan Oesterle and Michal Kempny playing well in their place, Quenneville is opting to give Franson and Rutta a little extra time to recover.

“We’re going to give them a couple of more days of practicing and contact and see how they progress going into (New) Jersey (on Saturday),” Quenneville said.

But Rutta and Franson are eager to return — as is any NHL player when coming back from an injury. Franson said it was annoying because he had worked hard to establish himself in the lineup, only to have to sit as he recovered.

“You try to work your way up the lineup and earn that trust from the coaching staff, go out there and do the right things, and a fluke injury like that can cause you to miss time and have everything change for you,” Franson said. “It’s very frustrating, but I’m very happy the guys went in there and did as well as they did.

“It’s a huge, huge run for us here going into the (Christmas) break. We have to try to finish strong.”

Rutta, who suffered an apparent head injury, said the hit from Panthers forward Connor Brickley was a “welcome-to-the-NHL-style hit.” But he downplayed its severity Wednesday.

“The hit wasn’t that hard. It came from a blind side,” Rutta said. “I wasn’t aware of that guy. That made a huge difference.”

Matching wits: Quenneville has tangled with Stars coach Ken Hitchcock several times over the years, including in multiple playoff series. Quenneville said he has a good feel for the tactics of coaches around the league but doesn’t give much thought to the coaching matchup.

“I’m more worried about our team and how the guys play,” Quenneville said. “I’m not worried about Hitch. He’s been around a long time. We kind of know each other pretty good.”